A system, method, apparatus and program which enables the automation of the carrying of a lot or lots of special purpose wafers between stockers and to achieve high speed processing while suppressing an increase in storage volume. The carrying control system includes stockers for storing therein special purpose lot or lots comprising wafers which will not be processed in production facilities, or said special purpose lot or lots and usual lot or lots comprising wafers which will be processed by production facilities and a carrying host computer for controlling automatic carrying of lot or lots in carrying facilities. The carrying host computer receives a report of receipt of the special purpose lot(s) by one of stockers transmitted from the one of the stockers when the special purpose lot(s) is received by said one of the stocker in said carrying pattern, for initiating a timer and for assuming that processing of the special purpose lot(s) stored in said stocker is completed when a result of count in the timer shows lapse of a predetermined period of time, for determining a next stocker to which the special purpose lot is to be carried next in accordance with a carrying pattern corresponding to the special purpose lot(s) stored in the storage unit, and for sending to the one of the stockers which stores the special purpose lots an carrying instruction for carrying special purpose lots to next stocker.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A process for monitoring dust, wherein the process comprises the steps of: (a) preliminarily storing carrying patterns of wafers used for monitoring dust in a clean room on a lot by lot basis in a storage unit of a carrying host computer for controlling a carrying control system; (b) automatically carrying and placing said wafers used for monitoring dust to and in a stocker on a carrying path by carrying said wafers on a lot by lot basis on and along at least part of a carrying path for product wafers in accordance with a carrying pattern stored in said storage unit; (c) determining a stocker to which a lot or lots of said wafers used for monitoring dust are to be carried with reference to said carrying pattern based upon a carrying completion report which is informed to said carrying host computer from said stoker; (d) sending out said wafers used for monitoring dust from the stocker which stores said wafers for carrying them to a next stocker; and (e) recovering said wafers used for monitoring dust when automatic carrying of said wafers used for monitoring dust on the carrying path which is defined by said carrying pattern is completed, followed by measuring dust on the wafers.
2. A process for monitoring dust, wherein the process comprises the steps of: (a) preliminarily storing carrying patterns of wafers used for monitoring dust in a clean room on a lot by lot basis in a storage unit of a carrying host computer for controlling a carrying control system; (b) automatically carrying and placing said wafers used for monitoring dust to and in a stocker on a carrying path by carrying said wafers on a lot by lot basis on and along at least part of a carrying path for product wafers in accordance with a carrying pattern stored in said storage unit; (c) initiating a timer by said carrying host computer in response to a notification of receipt of the lot or lots from said stocker and determining a next stocker to which the lot or lots of the wafers used for monitoring dust is to be carried with reference to said carrying pattern when a result of the count of said timer shows that a predetermined period of time has lapsed; (d) sending out said wafers used for monitoring dust from the stocker which stores said wafers for carrying them to said next stocker; and (e) recovering said wafers used for monitoring dust when automatic carrying of said wafers used for monitoring dust on the carrying path which is defined by said carrying pattern is completed, followed by measuring dust on the wafers.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
February 13, 2003
September 9, 2003
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